


Fire and Bone

by SheeWolf85



Series: Captain Tantrum [3]
Category: Underfell - Fandom, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Romance, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Choking, Depression, Dom/sub, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual BDSM, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Illness, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, but not exactly a fluffy story, some fluffy moments, the romance can be fluffy at times
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-25
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2019-06-15 23:34:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15424098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheeWolf85/pseuds/SheeWolf85
Summary: Sans has a lot of issues. He's lived through more things than any monster with 5 HP has any right to. His brother may be the only person--human or monster--who truly knows the extent of his mental illnesses.Enter Grillby, a monster who's undergone a drastic change since their last interaction in the underground. He's happier, healthier, and overall a better person. And maybe, he's just the monster Sans needs to help him realize he's not broken, just hurting.





	Fire and Bone

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! Welcome!
> 
> This story is a spin-off from my fic Captain Tantrum. While I've tried to make it so that you can read this without having read CT, it is beneficial to some character points. The main thing you need to know from CT, if you haven't read it, is that Papyrus is dating a human and Sans calls her "Sugar". If you don't want to read CT but do want to see how and why Paps is dating a human, check out chapter one of The Captain and the Damsel. It explains their meeting from the Skelebros pov.
> 
> For those of you who have read CT, be warned that this fic is not going to be nearly as fluffy. Sans has a lot of issues that he's kept hidden from Reader. We had a glimpse at those issues when he confessed to Reader that he feels "broken" because of his low HP. He puts on a happy face, but anyone with any kind of depression or anxiety knows how easy it is to throw up a quick "I'm fine" and be CONVINCING about it. For someone like Sans, letting someone else in on those issues enough to help him work through them (aside from Boss, who can only do so much himself) is HARD. Grillby has his work cut out for him.
> 
> Please read the tags, folks. I'll be updating them occasionally as I think of new ones to add, but I've already put on some of the most triggering events that I know will be happening later. Because I want everyone to know what they're getting themselves into, this story will contain BDSM, both in a sexual setting and as a coping method. Nothing hardcore, but some of the elements here may be triggering to some readers. We've got a few chapters to go before we get there, and I'll post a li'l warning on the chapter so you can read carefully if you feel you need to.
> 
> Come join me over on Tumblr! I'm almost at 200 followers, and I plan to do a fic raffle when I reach that number. Come follow me to maybe win a fic? Sheewolf85.tumblr.com

Adjusting to life on the surface was easy. On the surface, anyway. That joke had long since lost its humor, but Sans still threw it around like it had any right to be used.

Sans could pretend that he was doing fine. In a lot of ways, it wasn't a lie.

He held three steady jobs, one of which was nothing more than the occasional lunch meeting with the king to discuss getting back in his service. He always refused, and Asgore would semi-patiently accept his denial with the promise that he'd ask again in a few months. He'd remind Sans that his rule had changed; he was a kinder king now who understood that monsters deserved mercy. Sans still declined, and they'd part on tightly amicable terms. He got paid for it, so he considered it a job.

His brother had a successful career doing what he loved to do. No matter how bad a day or a week or a month could get, seeing his brother happy made his continuing existence worth it.

He was on better terms with almost every monster. Not only was his kind getting better, gaining more HP by the day, but he didn't have to serve as an unwilling judge. He didn't have to pass harsh punishments onto monsters who barely deserved a slap on the wrist. He didn't have to worry about retaliation from the families of monsters he'd been forced to hurt.

He was able to see the stars every night. Some nights, he'd sit on the roof and use the telescope his brother had saved for five months to get for him to get a better look at things that had fascinated him since he was a babybones.

He'd made a small handful of human friends. He was still terrified of most humans, but four or five of them had proven worthy of his trust. Those few friends seemed to temper his overall phobia of humankind.

As good as life had gotten, there were still all the things Sans would never be able to fix.

His HP was never going to get any higher. On the surface with untold dangers around every fucking corner, he had to be careful and on-alert at all times. Sometimes it felt like the constant fear of death had followed him from the underground and would never leave him alone.

He still found that he had to limit his time with his human friends when his paranoia would get the better of him. Even Sugar, his brother's soulmate, could be fucking terrifying when PTSD froze his soul. He'd been working with Boss on easing his triggers or at least tempering his symptoms, but nothing short of complete isolation helped. That, in turn, brought on new triggers. It was a vicious cycle with no end in sight.

As hard as he wanted to convince everyone that he'd beaten his PTSD, the fact that he still needed to wear Boss' collar was a clear indication to any monster old enough to know what collars meant that he hadn't. Boss had asked him to take it off after they'd reached the surface. He had tried. He had even succeeded for about five minutes before he felt like his soul might collapse in on itself. Boss had carefully fastened it around his neck again, tighter this time than usual, and stayed with him until his bones stopped shaking. It was a security blanket, a constant reminder that Boss still had his back. His brother said he didn't mind, but Sans felt like a failure when every other monster seemed to be able to shed theirs within the first six months of the barrier breaking.

Sans did his best to be happy, and the easiest way to do that was to make his brother happy. Since he got together with Sugar, Boss was pretty happy most of the time. It started to seem like there wasn't much else Sans could even do for his brother anymore.

He refused to let himself feel useless. He had little control over most aspects of his mental health, but this was something he could do something about. There were monsters everywhere that could use a little help with various things, and offering his assistance was a good way to make himself feel useful. Although it was hard for him to maintain prolonged physical activity thanks to his HP, there were plenty of things he could do either sitting down or in short bursts of activity.

When he first heard that Grillby finally had what he needed to restart his bar, his instinct was to stay far away. Not only did he not want to go back down  _that_  road, but he technically still owed Grillby money. A lot of money.

Their last interaction often played in his mind when he thought about the fire monster. The confrontation had been just as much his own fault—probably more so, actually—as anyone else's, but Boss refused to frame it that way. According to his brother, Grillby was the sole instigator.

In the underground, Grillby was the kind of monster that nobody wanted to piss off. You behaved in his bar or you went home missing a part of your body. You paid your debts or you could expect your whole family to pay them for you in various ways. There had been rumors flying around that he would force his patrons with bad debt to bring in their daughters for payment, but it wasn't true. Despite that, he never did anything to dispel the rumors.

Not until the barrier broke, anyway.

Sans had often wondered why Grillby let him rack up such a huge tab, but he figured it had something to do with his brother being the Captain of the Royal Guard. He couldn't force Sans to pay without getting Boss involved, and Boss was among the few monsters that Grillby refused to fuck with.

He supposed that may have been part of the reason Sans felt so comfortable abusing his tab.

The conversation about his debt had started amicably enough. Grillby had asked Sans when he planned on paying what he owed. Sans couldn't be bothered to put aside his ever-present terror of what was waiting for them on the other side of the barrier long enough to give Grillby an acceptable answer. Grillby had gotten impatient, frustrated to the point that he cut Sans off.

"I'll pour you another drink when you answer my question," Grillby had said, leaning down with his palms on the shiny marble counter. "Until then, I invoke my right to refuse service."

Sans had scoffed, but inside he panicked. He couldn't just be cut off! Not at a time like this; he needed the chill the alcohol let him have otherwise he'd dust himself by sheer anxiety alone. He'd sent a text to Boss, asking for backup. He honestly didn't intend for anything other to have his brother intimidate or maybe negotiate Grillby into pouring another drink. Just one more; that was all he needed.

Instead of helping him out at all, Boss had gotten mad at Sans for getting drunk in the first place. He really should have expected it; Boss hated his habits more than he hated humanity. That probably wasn't as bold a statement anymore now that Frisk had softened his soul a little.

"YOU CAN JUST KEEP HIM CUT OFF; HE WON'T BE COMING BACK TO YOUR ESTABLISHMENT."

Sans snarled, pushing himself away with a hard shove. He couldn't think of anything to say. He just…he needed…

He hopped over the bar and grabbed a bottle of whiskey. Grillby snatched it back, and Sans growled. He attacked, throwing himself at Grillby and attempting to bite his throat.

Grillby had acted mostly out of self-defense. It really wasn't his fault Sans was a broken monster with no real HP to speak of. He shoved Sans off of him and grabbed him by the neck, bending him backward and all but slamming his top half down on the counter.

A loud crack was heard as the back of his skull hit the marble, and he felt every decimal as his HP was cut down to one.

Grillby raised his right hand, his left still curled tightly around Sans' neck, and summoned several purple and blue fireballs.

A wall of sharp bones crashed into his chest, sending him flying backward. He slammed into the wall behind him with a grunt.

Boss stood before him, both hands raised in a fighting stance. More bones floated behind him, sharpened and pointed directly at Grillby's soul. Sans stood back up carefully, placing a hand on the back of his skull. Miraculously, the bone hadn't cracked. He still felt dizzy as he watched Grillby and Boss fight. Despite Boss' incredible control over his magic, he didn't have near the attack or defense that Grillby did. He changed tactic after a particularly hard blow and went to fully physical attacks rather than magical ones. Grillby depended on his magic; he wasn't as trained in physical fighting as Boss was.

Boss had Grillby on his knees and in a headlock in no time, holding him tight enough to limit his ability to breathe.

"YOU'RE GOING TO FORGIVE MY BROTHER'S DEBTS; DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

Grillby didn't answer at first. He glared at Sans with full hatred in his gaze. Sans shrank back, already feeling guilty for what he'd caused.

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" Boss asked again, this time adding a sharp punch to Grillby's back.

"Yes." He had a hard time speaking past the pressure on his throat. "It's cleared."

"IF I EVER SEE YOU NEAR MY BROTHER AGAIN, I WILL KILL YOU."

"Understood."

Boss finally dropped Grillby, stepping back and brushing off his shirt. Sans stared with wide sockets at Grillby's left arm—or, rather, what was left of it. On the floor next to him was a small spattering of dust. The fire monster's HP had been taken down to ten. If he had fought even a little harder, Boss would have killed him. He tried to curl in on himself, but Boss grabbed his arms and gently pulled. He said something about going home. Sans could only stare at Grillby, feeling increasingly worse about what he'd done.

It wasn't until much later that Sans realized Boss had also been injured in the fight. He had a bandage over his left eye. The sight of it caused more guilt to chip further away at his soul. He finally found a voice to talk to Boss about what had happened.

"yo, boss?" He stepped carefully into the living room where Boss was planning out the next day's activities at work.

He looked up at Sans and nodded. "ARE YOU FEELING BETTER? YOUR HP IS ONLY AT FOUR." He frowned. "YOU SHOULD EAT."

"no, i think i should apologize first."

Boss looked perplexed. "FOR WHAT?"

"don't pull this shit, boss. i ain't a fuckin' saint and we both know it. i'm sorry for the shit i caused with grillby today."

Boss attempted to furrow his brow bone, but the sound he made told Sans it hurt too much. "HE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER THAN TO TOUCH YOU."

Sans scoffed. "yeah, because the better option was to just let me walk away with a full bottle of whiskey. i'm sure you would have gotten pissed if he'd let me go with it." He rolled his eye lights. "you got hurt. you fuckin' tore his arm off."

"I'LL HEAL, AND HE'S AN ELEMENTAL—HIS ARM WILL GROW BACK."

"sure, that makes it all okay. can you just be a little mad at me, please?"

Boss sat back on the couch and regarded Sans for a moment before he held out his hands. Sans went to him and curled into his lap.

"IF HE HAD BEEN JUST A LITTLE ROUGHER TODAY, YOU WOULD HAVE DIED. I WOULD HAVE LOST YOU. SO NO, I CANNOT BE MAD AT YOU AT ALL WHEN YOU VERY NEARLY DIED IN FRONT OF ME."

"my hp only went down four points. that ain't a lot, boss; he really wasn't that rough at all."

Boss sighed deeply, tightening his arms around his brother. "FOUR HP IS A MASSIVE AMOUNT TO LOSE WHEN YOU ONLY HAVE FIVE TO BEGIN WITH. YOU WILL NOT CHANGE MY MIND ON THIS SUBJECT, SANS. AND YOU WILL NOT GO BACK TO THE BAR, EITHER."

He had kept his word on that, going so far as to take Sans to work with him to physically prevent him from going to the bar. At first, Sans thought he'd be smart and teleport, but that ended really fast when Boss would find him and lecture him for however long he felt necessary about what it was like searching the underground for his sick brother. He laid the guilt on thick. Sans knew it was only to get him to stop being a pain in the ass, but he never could teleport away again without feeling like he was going to give his brother an anxiety attack of his own.

Grillby ended up actually closing the bar for a week while he healed from the fight with Boss. By the time he was able to open it back up, Sans had given up teleporting away from Boss.

From that moment, Boss had been there to help him through every single panic attack, nightmare, burst of paranoia, bout of withdrawal…all of it. Anything that Sans would have normally turned to alcohol to help him through, Boss was right there. It eventually helped ease the need for a drink. Over time, he finally got to the point where he didn't even want a drink anymore.

Now, on the surface and what felt like a hundred years away from everything that happened, Sans was honestly curious to know how Grillby was doing. He'd done some asking around and was happily surprised to hear the good things monsters were saying about him.

He was calmer, they said. Some joked that he'd really cooled off. He'd been taking classes to get the education and licenses he needed to legally open his business, and all the while he'd kept a steady job to help save up the money he'd need to secure a loan for a building.

And so, one day while Boss was out with Sugar, Sans gave himself a pep-talk and went to see if he could find Grillby. If absolutely nothing else, his goal was to establish some kind of contact between the two of them again. Maybe he could talk about finally paying off his debts, but he'd just have to see how things went before he reopened that can of worms.

He'd found Grillby at the store he worked in. It was a small gift shop with all kinds of trinkets and gadgets, and Sans immediately recognized some of Grillby's own handiwork sitting in the window. The elemental used his control of heat and fire to work with metals and create small pieces of art.

Taking a deep breath, he counted to three and pushed the door open.

Grillby looked up from the counter where he'd been reading a magazine. Sans could feel the tension immediately, and he braced himself for the threat veiled as a request to leave.

It didn't come. Instead, Grillby slowly put down the magazine. "Hey. Uh…Hi."

Sans nodded. "heya."

They both stood there, awkwardly staring at each other for a long moment, until the door opened again and another customer came in.

Grillby was quick to smile at the human female. "Hi, Heather. Come to get your son's present?"

Heather, a woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties with rusty brown hair and a freckle-spattered face, smiled and nodded.

"Yes! I got your call that it was done and hurried in as soon as I could. Can I see it?" She rushed to the counter and bounced on the balls of her feet while he chuckled and pulled something out from a cubby under the register.

"Sure can. I tried to make sure it was accurate as possible, but some of those finer details were harder than they should have been." He opened the box and revealed a small metal figurine of a boy holding a dog.

Heather gasped and picked up the figurine gently. She turned it around in her hands, and Sans tried to get a good look at it as she did.

"I don't understand why you don't have your own shop, Grillby. This is perfect, and he's going to love it. Thank you so much!" She set the piece down carefully and reached in her purse for her wallet.

Grillby shook his head. "You already paid me for this."

"Yeah, but I didn't give you a tip. You need a tip." She held out a bill, but he refused to take it.

"Give it to your son. He can use it more than I can right now."

"I don't believe that for a second. My son is eleven and you're trying to open your bar. I know, you didn't want me to know about that because I have a kid and you thought I'd get all prissy about it. I hear things, though." She gestured to hear ears. "And I hear that you're getting closer to leasing your building. Please, take it." She held out the money again.

Grillby sighed and finally took the bill. "Fine, but when my bar is up and running you have to come in for a free drink sometime."

She laughed. "Will you just serve alcohol, or will there be food, too?"

"Best burgers in the underground." He winked.

"Then I'll come in for a free burger. I don't have anything against anyone else who drinks, but I choose not to."

Grillby laughed and nodded, then turned his attention to packing the figurine back up. He slipped it into a bag and held it out for her. "Tell Connor I said, 'happy birthday'."

Heather beamed. "I will. Thanks again, Grillby." She turned and left the shop with a bounce in her step.

The tension from earlier didn't come back. Grillby tucked the bill he'd been given into a tip jar and turned to Sans.

"Can I help you find something, Sans?"

He shook himself out of his stupor. He didn't even have to look at Grillby's soul to know that every word about him being a better monster was true. There was no way in hell the old Grillby would have turned down a tip for any reason, and he would have cut off his own legs before offering a free anything.

"uh…actually, i came looking for you." He took a few tentative steps toward the counter. "i guess i was just…curious about how you were doing. heard you were doin' better. kinda seems like it."

Grillby nodded. "Guess you could say I turned over a new leaf. Hey, I heard your brother is dating a human; is that true?"

"yeah. she's cool." Sans wished he could think of something to do with his hands. Instead of fidgeting with nothing but his own phalanges, he went over to lean against the counter and started playing with a little rock dinosaur.

"I gotta say I never thought that would happen." He chuckled.

Sans huffed in amusement. "yeah, he really fought it for a while. 'course, never thought i'd see you offer a free drink. you, uh…got the hots for that chick or somethin'?"

Grillby's smile was serene. "No; she's married with a kid. She's been a pretty loyal customer since before I started working here. She's actually the one who encouraged my boss to let me sell some of my own work here. It's helped me raise the money I need for the bar."

"that's good."

He sucked in a breath when he felt a familiar tug on his soul. It was a courtesy to ask a monster before checking them now that there was hardly a reason to do it anymore. Instead of saying anything about, he decided to just check Grillby right back.

"You're still only at five?" Grillby almost sounded concerned.

Sans let it slide. "you doubled."

He smiled proudly. "Yep." His smile faded. "It's the KR, isn't it?"

Sans nodded. "yep. still as broken as ever." He shrugged, wishing Grillby hadn't brought that up. It only reminded him of the last time they'd seen each other. He looked to the side, pretending he saw something interesting out the window as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Sorry, man. I didn't mean—"

"i know." He looked at Grillby then and forced himself to carve a smile on his face. "when are ya thinkin' you'll be able to get yer building?"

"In about a month. I've been asking around to see if anyone might want to help me set up. Apparently, things can only change so much, because most of what I'm getting are reminders that I used to have to control everything about my bar." He shrugged. "Guess everyone forgot I had help setting up back then, too. Still, I've had a few takers."

Sans nodded. "i could help, too. i mean, if ya want."

"I'll take all the help I can get."

Sans read between the lines. Grillby was willing to accept broken help because it was better than no help. As he'd said, things could only change so much.

They exchanged phone numbers and Sans left when a few more customers came in and Grillby had to help them look for a specific book.

As he laid in bed that night, he kept thinking about the things he'd seen on Grillby's soul that had left their impact. He saw everything from his past that he still felt guilty about. He saw the moment the first human child on the surface smiled at him, pointed and called him cool. Accompanying that was the moment their parent saw what their child was pointing and nearly tripped over themselves trying to get as far away as possible. He saw the meeting that had been held when humans declared monsters unable to open their own businesses without proper education and licensure.

Moments were interlaced with internal revelations. A particularly bright spot on Grillby's soul was when he realized he no longer needed to feed the depression that seemed to have a tight hold on all monsters. He didn't have to open a bar again or serve alcohol to monsters who used it as self-medication to escape the emptiness and utter hopelessness that was life in the underground. He could do whatever he wanted. He was actually a free monster.

After having seen the impact that revelation had left on Grillby's soul, Sans had to wonder why the fire monster had decided to open the bar after all.

A few days later, he gathered the courage to ask him.

_**Sans** _ _: we all know why you ran the bar in the underground. why are you opening it again now?_

He didn't get a response until that evening when he assumed Grillby had gotten off work.

_**Grillby** _ _: As it turns out, I actually liked being able to offer a place for monsters to get together and hang out. There was more to it than feeding into a depression that was likely to kill us all. There was camaraderie and good food and occasionally a date. I miss that part._

Sans nodded to himself. They talked for a while longer until Boss got home. He was in no hurry to tell his brother what he'd been up to recently. He knew he'd have to spill the beans sooner rather than later, but he was not eager for the conversation he knew they were going to have.

He managed to stall for two full weeks. He knew Boss was still in the dark, because there was no chance in hell he'd just be okay with Sans seeing Grillby. A part of him felt like he was hiding a dirty secret, cheating on his brother with another friend he couldn't know about. He hated it. There should never be any secrets between them.

When Grillby told him he'd gotten the building leased and was eager to go see it, inviting Sans to go with, Sans knew he had to finally tell his brother. Word would get around eventually, and he really didn't want Boss to hear about what was going on from anyone but him.

So he made a plan to tell his secret one Tuesday evening after Boss got home from work. He didn't have to work that night, which meant they'd have all the time in the world to hopefully have a discussion rather than a screaming match.

He knew without a doubt that Boss knew something was up while they ate dinner. He was nervous, anticipating Boss' reaction. He wasn't going to give up on Grillby, though, regardless of how upset Boss got.

After dinner, Boss left the dishes unwashed and carefully, silently, led Sans to the living room. He sat down on the couch and pulled Sans down beside him.

"WHAT IS IT?" he asked, turning so he was facing Sans.

Sans sucked in a deep breath. He refused to beat around the bush. His brother deserved straightforwardness. Of course, he also deserved to know about this way before now, but that was not exactly something Sans could do anything about at the moment.

"i'm talkin' to grillby again." He paused, waiting to see Boss' reaction, before continuing. "have been for a few weeks."

Boss' eye sockets narrowed. "A FEW WEEKS?"

"yup. i'm gonna help him set up his new bar."

"LIKE HELL YOU ARE! SANS—"

"boss, listen ta me, okay? i ain't doin' this to get—"

Boss stood up, pacing the floor as he yelled over the words Sans tried to say. "SANS, YOU ARE NOT GOING DOWN THAT ROAD AGAIN. YOU'VE BEEN THERE, AND I REALLY THOUGHT YOU WERE HAPPY TO BE SOBER."

Sans looked down at his lap, unable to look at his brother right now. "'course i am, and i ain't fuckin' tryin' to get drunk again, okay? will you fuckin' listen to me?"

"I SURE AS FUCK AM NOT GOING TO LISTEN IF YOU TRY TO TELL ME THAT YOU'RE SERIOUSLY STUPID ENOUGH TO HELP A MONSTER WHO NEARLY KILLED YOU SET UP A BUSINESS THAT MADE YOU MORE MISERABLE THAN BEING AROUND A HUMAN DID!"

Sans took a deep breath and stood up on the couch, trying to match his brother's height so he didn't feel so much like a child.

"he's changed, bro. and what happened was just as much on me as it was on him. i know you know that, but for some fucked up reason you refuse to admit it."

"I REFUSE TO ADMIT IT BECAUSE IT'S NOT TRUE! IT SHOULDN'T MATTER WHAT YOU DID, HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN—"

"would you fuckin' listen to yourself, bro? i tried to steal from him and attacked him when he didn't let me. that ain't somethin' any other monster in the entire fucking underground should let happen, so why is he the bad guy when he stopped me?"

"BECAUSE HE NEARLY FUCKING KILLED YOU! HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE HAD THIS DISCUSSION, SANS? HOW MANY MORE TIMES ARE WE GOING TO NEED TO HAVE IT UNTIL YOU UNDERSTAND—"

Sans screamed. He balled his fists, opened his mouth, and screamed as loud as he could. Papyrus stepped back, shocked.

"you have no fucking clue how much you piss me off, papyrus. yeah, i understand that i'm a fucking broken monster! i understand that you think i need constant fucking protection because of how broken i am. i'm not sayin' you're wrong, but i am sayin' i can't fuckin' stand it. i'm your  _big brother_ ; i should be the one protecting you, but here you are having to deal with every fucking thing i do."

He sat back down on the couch heavily. This was getting them nowhere; they were just rehashing old arguments. He held his face in his hands and told himself it was stupid to cry. No matter what he did, he'd always be a burden on his brother. He'd only been trying to make himself useful, dammit.

The cushion beside him depressed slightly when Papyrus sat down. Strong arms wrapped around him and pulled him into Papyrus' lap. He told himself to fight this, but something deep in his soul reached out for the familiar comfort of his brother's embrace.

"I NEVER ONCE INTENDED TO INSINUATE THAT YOU WERE BROKEN, SANS. PLEASE KNOW THAT."

"don't matter, bro." His voice was weak. He was just done with everything. "what you intend don't change the truth."

Papyrus' arms tightened around him. "I ASSUME YOU CHECKED HIS SOUL."

Sans nodded. "'course i did. he ain't the same monster, bro. he's changed, like everyone else." Everyone but him.

They were both quiet for a long time, Sans recuperating from his sudden drop in self-esteem and Papyrus gently considering what Sans had meant to tell him at the beginning of their conversation.

"I KNOW YOU'RE STILL GOING TO CONTINUE SEEING GRILLBY REGARDLESS OF MY FEELINGS ON THE MATTER."

Sans huffed. "you sound like i'm dating him, bro. we're just friends."

Papyrus smirked. "REGARDLESS. YOU'RE GOING TO HELP HIM SET UP HIS NEW BAR AND THERE'S NOTHING I CAN SAY THAT WILL STOP YOU. BECAUSE OF THAT, I'M GOING WITH YOU."

Sans sat up, already way too tired to deal with this. "no, you don't need to—"

"I NEED TO SEE HIM AND CHECK HIM FOR MYSELF. NOT BECAUSE YOU'RE BROKEN, BUT BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT YOU. WHEN ARE YOU PLANNING TO HELP HIM?"

"not sure yet. he just got the building, and he's gonna let me know when he's ready to start workin' on it. and bro?" He looked Papyrus in the eye. "i ain't doin' this to get booze. i'm doin' this ta help a friend. no tabs this time, and that's my decision. it hasn't even come up between him 'n me yet."

Papyrus nodded, but he didn't say anything. Sans had a feeling he was already planning on threatening Grillby in some form. He'd better warn the guy.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Drop me a line and let me know what you thought!


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